Violets Are Forever
by Illa Darling
Summary: A girl with a dark past manages to bring sunshine to Stark Tower. Tony and Pepper adopt, and the agents at Shield are entranced. So's one certain captain from the wrong century.
1. Violets on Valentine's Day

Chapter One

Violets on Valentine's Day

 **It was February 14,** and Tony Stark wanted nothing more than a jar of olives drenched in ethanol. He hadn't meant to ruin his date with Pepper, but the flowers were the last straw.

It all started with Rhodes and one of his famous lectures. Seriously, the guy could teach as a professor at Harvard. Ways To Annoy Tony, 101.

"TONY!"

"Jarvis, we have a security breach."

Rhodes stormed into the room. "Tony, we need to talk."

"Hey Jim, did you do something to your hair? It looks so . . . voluminous today."

"This is serious, Tony. The address you put on the letter. Was it real?"

 _So that was what was bothering him . . ._ Tony stifled the laughter that suddenly threatened to bubble over in his throat. He pulled a straight face. "Rhodey, whatever happens, I want you to know I consider you my friend."

"Friend?" fumed Rhodes. " _Friends_ don't completely obliterate each other's reputations. _Friends_ don't write each other a Valentine and then say it came from Nicole Kidman. This is unacceptable, Tony. Unacceptable."

Tony maintained his serene expression. "You wrote her back, didn't you?"

"Yes, I wrote her back. And then I realized she hadn't written to me in the first place. You know how I found out? And I quote, ' _Iron Patriot sounds so full of truth and justice and the American way!'_ Nicole Kidman isn't even American! Oh, and did you know the woman has a husband? If that address is real, I'm gonna-" Rhodes twisted the Valentine card in his hands, clearly convinced that words were not graphic enough to explain his current feelings for Tony.

Tony shrugged. "I'm sorry, Rhodes," he said dramatically, "I didn't think you'd actually write her back." He paused, relishing the horror in James' eyes, before continuing, "It's a fake, by the way. The address."

Yep, it would have been a perfect Valentine's Day ( _prank Rhodes, check; on to candlelight dinner à la Pepper_ ) but then Rhodes punched his arm, delivered a sermon on betrayal, and threatened to tell Pepper. Then, right on cue, Director Fury decided to sweep into the scene and drop another lecture over his head. Fury had referred to it as a "debriefing," but it felt more like a cloaked affront, really. So when Pepper came into the kitchen holding a pretty little violet, he lost it.

* * *

 _The Day Before_

"You've got grey streaks in your hair."

"Excuse me?"

"You've got grey streaks in your hair."

Tony stared. He couldn't believe he'd blown off breakfast with Pepper for this kid. But still, there was something about her he couldn't quite place. The girl standing before him was beautiful. Eerily so. She had long, chestnut hair and soft brown eyes that blinked steadily up at him from behind a pair of round, oversized spectacles. And she looked so . . . sweet. Childish, even. The way she just stood there and slowly, almost thoughtfully remarked that Tony Stark's hair was grey—no, that he had grey _streaks_ in his hair. She was just like a character pulled out of a novel. It didn't help that she stood a mere 5'2 and wore pink sneakers. Tony was almost having second thoughts about confronting her.

But even an assassin can pull off a cute act.

He leaned casually against the tall sycamore looming above him (he liked to think the effect gave him a certain advantage) and replied smoothly, "How's your mom? I'm sure she's beaten me on the grey hair scale. With a kid like you, I couldn't blame her. So, are you going to explain to me what you've been doing with those flowers?"

The girl's eyes widened, and her eyebrows creased into a perplexed frown. "Flowers?"

"Don't play innocent, miss. It won't rule in your favor." Tony adjusted his shades for good measure.

"Lily."

"You said?"

"My name's Lily."

Tony narrowed his eyes. He began reading phrases off his cellphone, "June 10, 5:30 p.m. Girl—pardon me, _Lily_ —leaves a bouquet of flowers on commemorative park bench. June 17, 5:30 p.m. new bouquet of flowers on said bench. June 24, 5:30 p.m., flowers, said bench . . . are you starting to get the picture?"

Lily's eyes grew even rounder. "I didn't think it was wrong to put flowers there," she breathed. She had broken her still stance and was fidgeting with the edge of her sleeve.

 _If this girl was actually innocent_. . . Tony suddenly felt sick. He shook the thought away. No. Too late for doubts now. "Did you know," he began lightly, "that the Howard Park Bench is the only bench in the entire park with a view of Stark Tower? A three-minute walk away. Ninety-nine paces."

The girl was looking at him intently. He couldn't explain the look in her eyes, until she said, curiosity evident in her voice, "How'd you know that?"

"My AI measured it."

She frowned. "But an AI doesn't have feet."

Tony stifled an exasperated sigh. "I'm sure he took human anatomy into account."

"That's relative, though, isn't it?"

"Look . . . Lily . . . if talking about AI feet is all you're going to give me, I'm going to have to detain you."

Tony didn't think her eyes could get any rounder. "Take it then," she said, holding out the flower in resignation. Then, much to his surprise, the girl took a tentative step forward, glanced hesitantly up at him, and gently placed the bouquet at his feet.

He stared at it, bewildered, before snatching it up and peering at it closely. The pit in his stomach widened. It was . . . just a bouquet. Of violets, no less. Tony felt his forehead burning. "I thought . . . I didn't . . ."

For once, Tony Stark was speechless.

* * *

"Drop that violet right now!" Tony crossed the room. In one quick, smooth motion, he had snatched the flower from her hand and was currently annihilating it with his shoes.

Pepper froze, shocked. Then a stern expression took over. "Tony!" she scolded, crossing her arms. "That was a gift."

* * *

 _The Day Before (Again)_

Pepper was having an off day. She was getting used to it, too.

It wasn't really because of Tony. She'd lived with . . . all of that for years, and she'd even grown to love it. To love him. But living with Tony's profession, his hobby, his being a superhero, because that was what he was, no matter what he or Natasha or anyone else called it—that was what worried her. No, not worried her. It drove her crazy. Fighting bad guys, saving the country, rubbing elbows with secret counter-terrorist agencies that had way too many syllables in their name to be pronounced properly—

Pepper wanted normal. Everything about her life screamed _not_ normal. Like the fact that she lived in Stark Tower and worked for a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. Or the fact that she was dating him. But that was all Pepper wanted: a happy life with her genius, albeit occasionally (scratch that, habitually) irksome, obnoxious, egotistical Tony Stark. Minus the iron suit, he was perfect.

And he'd just skipped breakfast a few minutes ago to go save the world. Again.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. There was nothing wrong with blowing off breakfast, but to do what? To confront a "potentially dangerous and deadly threat." That's what he'd said. After he'd added, "Reason to suspect planted bombs near the Tower," how could she not be anxious and upset with him?

 _Tony, I'm going to kill you. If you're not dead already._

She sighed again and absent-mindedly pulled a coat over her button-down shirt. It looked like a chilly morning today, but she really needed to de-stress. Some fresh air would do her good.

It _was_ chilly. Pepper hugged her arms to her chest as she walked, puffs of breath coming out in front of her. And to think it was almost springtime. Suddenly, she stopped. A young girl was standing in the middle of the sidewalk ( _blocking the way_ , thought Pepper, feeling slightly annoyed), when she noticed what the girl was doing.

She was picking up violets from the street curb.

When she looked up, she saw Pepper staring and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was in the way." Her voice was soft, steady.

"No, not at all," said Pepper. She nodded to the flowers. "They're early this spring."

The girl smiled and returned her gaze to the flowers in her hand. "Yes. It's strange, isn't it? Did you ever wonder how patches of grass and violets ended up here, of all places? Sprouting up from their little shells into a world full of taxis and walls and windows?"

"Manhattan isn't so bad," said Pepper, smiling slightly.

"No," said the girl thoughtfully.

Pepper couldn't resist asking. "Why are you out here all alone? Shouldn't you be with your parents?" The girl couldn't be a day over thirteen, fourteen maybe.

"I'm seventeen."

 _Close enough._

She gave another apologetic smile, though why, Pepper couldn't say. "And besides, I don't have parents. I mean, not anymore."

 _Oh_. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said the girl brightly, standing up. She still cupped the violets in her hand.

Pepper looked at her curiously. "What are you going to do with them?"

"Do you know the Howard Bench over at Bryant Park? That's my landmark. I leave my flowers there at the end of my walk." She noticed the confusion on Pepper's face. "It's just a little hobby," the girl explained, "I like to think maybe someone feeling low might see them and feel better. That's how I feel, anyway, when I see violets. It's silly, I know." She looked down at her sneakers and began pulling at her sleeve.

Pepper smiled. "I think it's sweet."

The girl looked up quickly, as if unsure whether to believe her or not. When she saw Pepper smile, her eyes brightened, and she grinned widely. _What a precious girl._ Pepper stepped forward slowly and said, "May I have one? I've been feeling a little down, myself."

The grin widened. "Here," said the girl, holding out one of her violets. "I hope you get better soon."

"Thank you," said Pepper. She continued her walk, but she stopped suddenly and called after the girl. "What's your name?"

"Lily," she replied, somewhat shyly. "Lily McClellan."

* * *

" _That was a gift."_

Tony was paying no attention. He muttered angrily to himself, and Pepper caught phrases, like _played me_ and _clever little assassin girl_.

"Lily is not an assassin."

Now Tony looked at her. "What?" he said flatly. It wasn't often that Pepper saw this side of him. Dead serious. "When exactly did that girl talk to you? Pepper, you need to stay away from her . . ."

A light was beginning to dawn on Miss Potts. "Hold on a second," she said, holding her hand up. "When you said 'potentially dangerous threat,' you didn't mean _Lily_ , did you?"

"Uh, I said 'potentially dangerous _and deadly_ threat, and yes, I meant Lily."

"She's a teenager!"

"Who managed to fool me into thinking her flowers were harmless and then found a way to sneak one into Stark Tower. By giving it to the person I care about most in the world, no less! It could have killed you!"

"Uh-huh. How?"

"This is the 21st century, Pepper," Tony huffed. "Explosives can be disguised as violets."

"Oh yeah, like the cookie robots in _Despicable Me,_ right?" Ignoring the look Tony gave her, Pepper tugged at her ponytail and sighed. "I met Lily on the street yesterday. She told me she puts flowers on Howard's bench to help people. Think, Mother Theresa. Not everyone is trying to kill you, Tony."

She started for the stairs, before remembering something and stopping. "By the way, I invited her over for dinner tonight."

Tony gaped as Pepper walked calmly away.

 _"You have impeccable taste in women, sir."_

"One more word, Jarvis."

 _"Sorry, sir."_

Yep, this was turning out to be the _best_ Valentine's Day ever.


	2. A Violet A Day

Chapter Two

A Violet A Day

"So, tell us more about yourself."

Lily fiddled with the edge of her napkin. She liked Ms. Potts - the woman had a knack for making people comfortable. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to keep Lily from glancing nervously every now and then at the man seated across her. You can't really help it when you're two feet away from the guy who almost had you arrested for putting flowers on a park bench.

She bit her lip. "There's not much to tell," she said carefully. She noticed Pepper was also throwing brief looks Tony's way. It was the kind of look Lily's uncle would give her, whenever he was forced to bring her along on his dates. The one that said _behave yourself or so help me I will mash you into potato and feed you to the pigeons._

"So, what school do you attend?" Pepper prompted her.

Lily blushed. "I don't. My uncle makes sure I study at home, though," she added hesitantly, "so I don't fall behind."

The woman didn't miss a beat. "I think that's nice. What grade are you?"

Another blush. "I don't . . . know."

 _Lower than average, that's for sure._ Lily could never really understand why her uncle had pulled her out of high-school the day he assumed guardianship of her. She suspected it had something to do with that assessment test he'd given her a few months after her parents died. She was pretty sure she'd failed.

"I'm . . . I'm a little behind." _Just a little_ , she thought. Her humility had its limits. "I'm not really sure how the curriculum works in school, but um, I'm studying integrated rate laws for second order kinetics, and how to use the Bq." Lily felt shame rise up in her throat as she said it. For all she knew, this was probably middle school material. She wondered uneasily if kindergarteners studied chemistry.

But, as soon as the words left her mouth, the orange juicebox choked. Much to her dismay, she saw Tony Stark sit straight in his seat and look at her intently. Then he said, a hint of surprise in his voice: "Nuclear chemistry?"

...

Pepper was impressed. Well, that and confused. Between privately wondering if Bq stood for barbecue and marveling over the kid's obvious genius, Pepper couldn't understand the look of embarrassment in Lily's face. Nor could she explain the eyes that dropped so quickly to the tabletop when Tony mentioned "nuclear chemistry," as though studying such an advanced topic at seventeen were a crime instead of an accomplishment.

It was almost as if the girl didn't realize how smart she actually was.

Pepper was glad that Tony had finally joined the conversation . . . well, she _was_ glad. That was before the conversation metamorphosed into an entirely different language, complete with numbers and codes and words Pepper was pretty sure weren't in the human dictionary.

 _This is what you get for putting two geniuses in the same room._ _Absolute gibberish._

But Pepper was content, even touched, to watch Lily quickly warm up to Tony. Clearly, nuclear chemistry was just the thing to get this girl out of her shell. But what surprised Pepper even more was Tony himself. The man looked earnest, even fascinated, which was saying a lot, given Tony's self-proclaimed reputation as "the man who knows everything."

". . . But what you're saying is an atom of uranium can manipulate other atoms of the same element." Tony shook his head in disbelief. "That's incredible."

"Incredible," she laughed, "Or incredibly stupid."

"Self-degradation." Tony nodded. "I like it." He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and sighing contentedly. "Nothing screams genius like a pinch of humility."

Pepper rolled her eyes. Finally, a topic she could understand. "Well then, clearly, _I_ didn't date a genius."

Tony frowned. "Um, I believe I said 'pinch of humility.' Emphasis on 'pinch.'"

Lily giggled. Pepper sighed. "Dessert, anyone?"

* * *

First impressions don't really tell you much. Tony and Pepper learned that after inviting Lily over the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. The girl, who had once struck them as shy, timid, rather grim, and peculiar, turned out to be a little daredevil in the making. (But still peculiar. Like that time Tony caught her drinking coffee in the rain. Apparently, it tasted much better with precipitation pelting down into her mug.) It wasn't long before Pepper concluded that her new friend was really a five-year-old masquerading as a teenaged girl.

But one thing was for sure. Lily was making life at Stark Tower _normal._ At least, as normal as a home could be with a seventeen-year-old who had a knack for trouble . . .

. . . like that day Pepper came in from work and found a note that said Tony was being held for ransom and would be dead in less than twenty-four hours. She'd called the FBI, the CIA, the marines, goodness, even S.H.I.E.L.D before Lily and Tony popped out of Pepper's walk-in, giggling like children. At least one of them actually had an excuse.

. . . or that time Pepper was late for a meeting because she couldn't find her dress. She went down to the basement, just to make sure, and found Tony wearing her stilettos and a generous amount of rouge on both cheeks. Lily was clucking around him, a lipstick pen in her hand, and, at the sound of Pepper's gasp, said calmly, "Now, now, dear, don't bother granny-she's busy."

One day, Pepper decided to turn the tables on them. She knew Tony was working on some updates to his suit and would be busy the entire afternoon. Lily would come over for dinner that evening. So that meant a good one, two hours to plan. She got home early from a business meeting with the board and hurried straight to the kitchen.

"Jarvis? What's the best way to embarrass someone?"

" _I'm sure I don't know, Miss Potts."_

Pepper smiled. "You get them to do it themselves."

 _A few hours later_

"Hello Lily." Pepper smiled sweetly as she held open the door. "I've made a special dinner for us tonight."

Lily grinned. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh, you know," Pepper shrugged nonchalantly, "To celebrate our friendship."

"I didn't know you were sentimental, Miss Potts."

"She can be, when she feels like it." Tony appeared at the foot of the staircase, the old smug smile pulling at the corner of his lips. Pepper was looking forward to wiping it out; already she could imagine the shock and betrayal dawning on his face -

"Well, what did you cook?" Lily looked up expectantly.

"Halibut, seared scallops, and sweet-corn puree." Pepper paused, then, with a wicked glint in her eyes, "But the vanilla milkshake is the best part."

"Yum!"

"Let's get started," Tony said at the same time. This was going to be too easy . . .

"The halibut was delicious, Miss Potts!" Lily gave another one of those wide, sunshiny grins that made Pepper's heart melt. She could feel her resolve slowly slipping away. No. She had to be strong. Tony, of course, had it coming to him. But Lily was so . . . innocent looking. And no one had ever complimented Pepper's halibut before. Maybe she didn't deserve this. Pepper shook her head. Lily was fooling her. She was a little minx in disguise. _Remember all those pranks,_ she thought. _All the near death experiences._

When she looked up from her plate, Pepper's resolve had fully returned. "So, who's up for milkshake?"

"Cheers!"

Pepper struggled to hide the excitement in her eyes as she watched Tony and Lily gulp down their drinks with relish. _I'm actually doing this. I'm pranking people. Hahahaha, Pepper Potts is a prankster!_ She bit back a decidedly undignified giggle and took a sip from her own glass.

"So," she said carefully, "What did you really think of the halibut?"

Tony grinned. Pepper thought she saw him-wait, did he just wink at Lily?

The girl, in her turn, grinned devilishly. "I thought it was really delicious, Miss Potts. And this milkshake! No words. Absolute heaven. I'm curious, though. What did you put in it?"

Pepper answered almost automatically. "Two cups of vanilla ice-cream, a teaspoon of salt, two cups of milk, and 5 mL of a truth serum Jarvis gave me." Pepper blanched, horrified, and peered at her own glass of milkshake. She couldn't have possibly - switched the cups - she glanced at Tony and felt her heart sink. He was holding a paper. Her list. The questions she had thought up so diligently beforehand.

"Let's see," Tony said, " _Questions For Truth Serum_. Now, Pepper, if you're going to prank somebody, don't write such interesting titles and then leave them in plain sight. I found this on the countertop." He scanned the page. "Here's a good one. _When did Tony fall in love with me?_ I think we can turn that around. My _dearest, darling_ Pepper _,_ when and how did you fall for my, ah, dashing self?"

Pepper bit her tongue. She could feel the truth fighting its way out. "December, the second year I began working for you." _Tony, I'm going to kill you._ "You carved a wooden pony for your mother."

"Awwww," laughed Lily.

Then, somewhat to Pepper's satisfaction, Tony's ears turned pink. Maybe this wasn't so bad, after all.

"My turn to ask a question!" piped Lily. She took the paper from Tony and began reading down the list. Suddenly, her face turned pale. "You were going to ask me . . . who my first crush was."

Tony laughed. "Now that would have been interesting."

Lily screwed up her face. "No, it's not that. It's just . . . I can't rem-"

" _I hate to interrupt, Miss Lily, but Mr. Stark, there is someone at the door._ "

Tony stood up, grumbling loudly, and Pepper and Lily followed closely behind.

"Who is it?" said Pepper. Then, much to her surprise, Lily spoke up.

"Uncle P!" she exclaimed, running down to give the ruffled man a hug.

Pepper and Tony exchanged glances. "Um, his first name is agent."

 **a/n: dun dun dun! Ehhhh, this story is moving at an alarmingly slow rate. Sniffles. I really don't know what to think of this.**


End file.
